After locking up during warm-ups last week, Washington put Strasburg on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. Sunday, Strasburg threw two sets of 25 pitches at Nationals Park and reported no pain.

He is scheduled to play catch again today and pitch in a simulated game Thursday. Manager Jim Riggleman hopes to see the rookie on the mound on Aug. 10.

You can catch him on video. If you are one of the first 15,000 fans on Aug. 12 vs. the Marlins, you get a DVD of Strasburg's first Major League start.

The Nationals have millions of dollars invested in a man with a million dollar arm. But at some point they are going to have to let him off the porch and run with the pack.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

About Reid and Mike

Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.

He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.

Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.